1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to spouted plastic bottles. More specifically, this invention relates to spout attachments which include sealing means so that it is not necessary to provide a liner in the bottle closure. It also relates to means to maintain the attachment against rotation in the mouth of the bottle.
2. Description of Related Art including Information Disclosed under .sctn..sctn.1.97 to 1.99
The prior art includes a number of molded spout attachments for plastic molded bottles. As an example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,829, which issued Nov. 17, 1987 to Li discloses an attachment which has an inverted U-shaped margin which snaps over the top of the mouth of the bottle. The closure for this bottle has a seal or a liner that is engaged by a bead at the top of the U-shaped margin.
Other spout attachments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,763,403 which issued Sept. 18, 1956 to Livingstone. Some of the disclosures in Livingstone include spout attachments in which a flange rides on the top of the mouth of the bottle between the mouth and the closure. The disclosure suggests that it is possible to eliminate the use of a liner in the closure, but presumably the result is often that as the closure is tightened, the spout turns relative to the mouth, disorienting the spout. This is a critical shortcoming when the bottle is formed with a integral handle and direction of spout pour should be opposite the handle.
Other patents which disclose spout attachments are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,700; 4,128,189; 4,550,862; 4,671,421; 4,696,416;